B.C. ports made more accessible

Contract for west-coast stevedores provides a new SUB top-up for employees on maternity leave with the intention of making the traditionally male workplace more open to women.

By Gordon Sova

10/17/2011|Canadian Labour Reporter|Last Updated: 10/17/2011

Several family-friendly amendments form part of the British Columbia longshore agreement in this week’s issue.

“Making longshore workplaces more attractive as a place of employment is long overdue,” ILWU president Tom Dufresne claimed after the tentative agreement was ratified.

A tangible of this new attitude is the maternity leave top-up that has been added with this agreement. Employees who are receiving EI maternity leave benefits would see them topped up to 70 per cent of regular wages for 17 weeks and parental leave benefits topped up to 50 per cent of regular wages for 37 weeks.